Total Eclipse of the Moon by Patrick Councilor
[Naples ships those in from China]
Niles Crane loosened his cravat as he settled into his favorite leather wing-back chair with a small glass of sherry and a good book. He had just taken a sip of his sherry and set it to the side to open his novel. The cloth book mark had secured his place at the three hundred and twenty-seventh page. He was appreciating how the soft leather on his hardcover book felt in his hands.
"A conscious in solitaire …" he read, "is like a strong scented smoke that has absorbed deep into wood of cedar, that no longer smells of cedar, but that of faltered ash and flame-stricken timber. In the pitch-black of it all, the mind recourses…"
There was a knock at the door that reverberated him out of his novel and back into his house. Carefully, he placed the cloth back close to the spine and snapped the book shut to place it on the oak night stand beside his sherry.
On the other side of the door, stood his eminent brother and his father. "Frasier, Dad… what are you two doing at this hour?" He stepped to the side to allow his family in.
"We've come to talk to you Niles," Frasier said as he stepped inside, leaving his damp umbrella in the umbrella stand just inside the door.
"Here, let me take your coats." Niles help his father off with his coat and accepted his brothers as well and darted towards the coat room.
"Where's Maris?" Martin whispered.
"Oh, don't worry about waking her," Niles said on his way across the room. "She's off rekindling an old flame."
"What's that mean?" Martin snapped back.
"Oh, the wick from her favorite candle from Naples has burned too fast for the wax to melt and she has taken the week to fly back and have the wick replaced."
"Thank God," Martin said beneath his breath. He then whispered to his oldest son, "I wasn't worried about waking her. I was more concerned about having to socialize with her."
Niles returned emptied handed after securing the coats. "Can I get either of you something to drink?"
His father took a seat on the fainting couch. "Niles, I think you better sit down."
The tone in his father's voice meant something. Something horrific has happened. What could it be? He turned to them, but was almost afraid to stand. "Is Maris alright? Have you heard something?" His voice was light and without conviction of believing in any "what ifs" at the moment.
"This has nothing to do with Maris," Martin reassured him.
That's right, why would his father ask about Maris' whereabouts had he known something. Then why? What could his father and brother be so concerned about to drive all the way over here at this hour? Was there a death in the family?
"Come sit down with us."
He went over and sat at the same time his brother took a seat. What was going on? Was this a intervention of some sort?
"What is going on Dad?"
Martin shot his other son a look. "Tell him Frasier."
"Niles…" Frasier rubbed his hand over his jaw. He had thought about this all the way over here, but the words seemed to be lost somewhere in the concern for his brother. "I suppose there is no easy way to tell you this…"
Niles stood up. "Will someone just tell me what is going on?"
Frasier took a deep breath. "Niles, Daphne quit."
He descended to his posterior. He didn't realize he had taken a seat, but he had. He slowly shot his brother a cold, blank look and had to clear his throat to ask, "How… why?
"Well… it's somewhat complicated."
Now Niles was trying to literally read his brother's face for answers.
Martin spoke up, "The 'King of Restraint' here invaded her privacy one too many times."
Niles eyes went from an element of concern to an element of rage. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"Now Niles," Frasier started to back-peddle. "It was late at night, when I went to pick up my reading book up off of the shelf in the living room… well, when I got it back to my bedroom, I realized it was Daphne's diary. Rather than he think I was attempting to read it behind her back, I tried to sneak it into her room and that's when she caught me. It was perfectly harmless."
"Did you think that that car you bought her last year would give you a grace period of trespassing? Have you lost your mind?" He was on his feet again.
"Now Niles," Martin jumped back in. "Your brother has done some," he looked directly at Frasier, "numb-headed things before, but getting mad at him at this point is not going to help the matter."
"We've got to stop her," Niles demanded. "We've got to get her back," he commanded.
"She's already moved out." Martin said with a soft tone.
"I took Dad out for dinner, hoping to give her time to cool off," Frasier said, "and by the time be got back home, she had moved all of her things out."
"WHAT?" Niles asked as if he didn't believe the words, but even more so, he was praying that he hadn't heard his brother correctly. "WE HAVE GOT TO FIND HER."
"I'm sorry Niles," his father's voice had dropped yet again.
"What do you mean? What do you mean by that?"
"We've already contacted the agency that we hired her from and she has not contacted them with any new point-of-contact information."
"What do you mean? When did she leave?"
"Over twenty-four hours ago," Frasier diverged.
"And you're telling me this NOW?"
"Listen, son, we thought this would all blow over and we could get in contact with her and get this settled before having to tell you."
Niles started to hyperventilate as he knees gave way and he went back down into the sofa chair.
"Frasier, get him some water!" Martin called out and he moved over to help Niles put his head down between his knees. "Take a few deep breaths son."
"Oh my God, Dad. I've got to find her."
It scared Martin to see his son like this. So shaken. So devoted to someone who didn't share the same devotion he had for her. "Just breathe Niles. Everything's gonna be okay."
"Is it Dad? Is it? Sometimes words have more meaning with actions to back them up." He bounded up from his seat and headed for the front door, taking up Frasier's umbrella as he went.
Martin took ahold of the umbrella. "Now Niles, you're not going to find her somewhere in the middle of the night. Let's all get a good night's sleep and we'll all go out tomorrow."
Niles looked into his father's eyes and found that he wouldn't win this fight. Not this one. He slowly let go of the umbrella.
"There you go," Martin said in his cheerful, upbeat tone.
Frasier was standing there with a glass of water in hand. "I'll stay the night here with Niles."
Niles took a deep breath… possibly deeper than any breath he had ever taken. Then he let it go. "Oh, you're right. Suddenly, I feel quite exhausted. The sooner we get some sleep, the sooner we can start looking for her. And thanks Frasier, but I'm a big boy. You go home with Dad. I'm going to curl up on this couch and store up some strength for tomorrow."
"Are you certain?" he asked, handing his brother the water.
"Yes, of course. Thank you both for coming over here. It's going to take some time for me to settle in to sleep after such news, so please believe me when I tell you I am going to lay down just as soon as you leave."
Frasier shot him "the look". "I have your word that you will seriously try to get some sleep right away."
"Of course Frasier. Cross my heart and hope to die and let the Byte of Seattle pass me by."
Frasier took a moment to read his face. "Alright then."
When his father and brother left, Niles retrieved a pillow and blanket from the guest room and set himself up on the couch. He lay there for what seemed like an hour staring at the ceiling. His forgotten glass of sherry, stood abandoned next to his novel.
He retrieved his cell phone from his shirt pocket and dialed. "Yes, this is Niles Crane, I'm just called to ensure my father and brother made it out of the building safely…. Thank you so much." He closed his phone and threw the blanket off of himself at the same time. He gathered is coat and shoes and placed them on. He took his car keys on the way out the door.